Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I experienced my first fresh spring roll at a Thai restaurant last summer. I was on a date of sorts, or as much of a date as dates go these days. He had a habit of ordering appetizers or desserts without consulting me first—a habit I might find infuriating in someone else. He stuck with vegetarian options for my sake, though, and I didn’t mind.

Anyway, fresh spring rolls arrived at the table that afternoon, and I didn’t know what to think at first. Their oddly translucent skins made them look almost alien-like, but I saw familiar, friendly herbs and vegetables peeking through at me and trusted that I’d like them. We each dunked a roll in spicy sauce and, in between bites, drifted back into conversation about our usual topics of discussion: pirates, Halloween costumes, our dogs. Pure nonsense.

I’ve wanted to make fresh spring rolls since that afternoon, but I couldn’t find the wrapping papers for the longest time and wasn’t sure what to do with them even after I finally found some. (By the way, spring roll wrappers are also called rice paper wrappers.) Then I watched Erin’s great spring roll video and she made spring rolls look easy. Something about watching cooking techniques in action makes them seem more approachable.

I wanted to publish the recipe on Monday to coincide with the other Food Matters Project members’ posts, but this move has me all out of sorts. Everything seems to take longer here, as I’ve been getting settled and situated. I ended up working on this recipe all week—running out of natural light one day, waiting on the internet installation guy the next, sampling different combinations of filling ingredients in the meantime.

I can’t say these rolls are the easiest things to make, but they proved well worth the effort. I got the hang of soaking the wrappers quickly and I think you will, too. The wraps needed something substantial and kind of creamy, as all of the other filling ingredients are light and crisp. I took inspiration from Sprouted Kitchen’s new cookbook and dressed uncooked tofu in a sprinkling of sesame seeds, which turned out to be a fabulous idea indeed.

I also made the dipping sauce twice, trying it with peanut butter, different sweeteners and soy sauces. Sometimes I wish I had someone else around for a second opinion (especially if the second opinion would also help me wash dishes), but I really think the version below is the best. I hope you’ll give these wraps a try this weekend—they’re crunchy and fresh, creamy and spicy, and best of all, they are a complete meal that don’t require a heat source to make. Invite some girl friends over, pour some wine and enjoy!

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Author:Cookie and Kate

Prep Time:30 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Total Time:45 minutes

Yield:4

Category:Appetizer

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

Spring rolls stuffed arugula, sesame seed-sprinkled tofu and crisp summer vegetables. Served with spicy peanut sauce, these rolls are a great appetizer or light main course. Bonus: they don’t require the stove or the oven!

Instructions

In a food processor, process all of the dipping sauce ingredients for a couple of minutes, until fairly smooth. Transfer to a small bowl or divide into individual ramekins. (You can make the dipping sauce a day ahead, just cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.)

Drain the water from the tofu and very gently squish some of the water out of the tofu. Slice the tofu into two slabs by cutting lengthwise through the center. Wrap the slabs in a clean tea towel or paper towels. Stack the slabs on top of each other and place a heavy saucepan or a plate and cans on top to help press out more of the moisture.

Prepare the arugula, herbs and vegetables as directed in the ingredients list above. Set them out on your work surface, with a clean tea towel on the side.

Remove the towels from the tofu and slice each slab into about 7 equal-sized strips (less than ½-inch in width). Sprinkle sesame seeds onto a plate or cutting board and gently roll the tofu strips to coat.

Fill a bowl or baking pan with warm water. Place one rice paper in the water and let it rest for about twenty seconds. You’ll learn to go by feel here—the sheet should be pliable enough to give to touch but not super floppy. Lay it on the towel.

Top the rice paper in a lengthwise orientation (as shown) with a big sprinkle of arugula, one strip of tofu, a few strips of carrot, cucumber, bell pepper and jalapeño (if using). Sprinkle with some chopped green onion, cilantro and mint.

Fold over one long side to enclose the filling, then fold over the short sides like you would a burrito, and lastly, roll it up, stretching the remaining long side around the the roll to seal it. Serve the rolls whole or cut in half, with dipping sauce on the side.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman and The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte.
Amounts for stuffing ingredients listed above are approximate, adjust them to suit your tastes and needs.Preparation tips: If you like to smother your spring rolls in sauce, you might want to double the sauce recipe.Make it gluten free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce.Change it up: Arugula might seem to be a strange choice of greens here, but I really loved the spicy flavor and preferred it to watercress. You could also try leaves of butter lettuce for some crunch.
Find Mark Bittman’s original recipe at Everyday Maven.

▸ Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.

I love spring rolls. I used to make them all the time during my brief stint as a line cook at a college cafeteria. People dont know what to think of rice paper. Once, a student asked me, “Is that plastic?” yeah we are trying to make you eat plastic! Anyway, he tried it and came back and told me that he liked it.

Thanks, Nicole! I had trouble finding rice paper for a while, but now it seems to be everywhere I shop. It is usually near the Asian section and seems to be more common in health/gourmet stores than regular grocery stores. Sometimes it’s labeled rice paper and sometimes they call it spring roll wrappers. Good luck!

These look lovely! The problem I’ve always had with making peanut sauce at home is that it’s hard to thin out with out making it watery (if you’re using water) or too sour (if you’re thinning it with vinegar and/or lime juice). I always forget that there’s a coconut version of this dish, so my next one will definitely be made with some of it! One of my other favorite versions, born of this very problem, is peanut sauce made with silken tofu. Just toss the tofu, natural peanut butter, a dash of soy, rice vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, chile garlic paste, and a bit of sugar into the blender and then blend it all till smooth.

Great suggestion, thanks Cat! I’ve made a peanut sauce with water that I liked on soba noodles but I definitely enjoyed this coconut milk version, too. I thought it was interesting that Mark Bittman’s recipe called for roasted peanuts instead of peanut butter, I really liked it!

Spring rolls are my favorite summer dinner! I’m guilty of eating the remaining dipping sauce right out of the bowl… Since I always use the same ingredients in my version, I’m excited to switch it up with your recipe here! Thanks!
I also had luck finding rice paper wrappers at my local health food store, near the other Asian ingredients.

Thanks so much for this recipe. I made these for dinner tonight and got rave reviews! This was the first recipe I tried from your website and I am already planning on which one to try next – maybe coconut pancakes, since I have leftover coconut milk! Thanks again!

Actually I saw rice paper at Ralph’s the other day and probably all the large grocery stores carry them in the Asian section. I usually get mine at a nearby Asian market since they have a larger selection of sizes.
Enjoy

I just had to drop back and tell you that this has become one of my go tos. I’m making this for each work Christmas party to lighten up the tables filled with sugar, sugar, sugar. Such a welcomed break from all the fun but fattening holiday treats.

Wow, these look delicious!! I live in NE OK in a really rural town and just came across the rice wrappers in my local grocery store. I was so surprised to find them here. I am probably obsessed with Asian food and used to make it constantly when I lived in an urban area. I’ve been thinking of what I can put in my rolls and, thanks to you, I found it! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you :)

I love eating fresh spring rolls with hoisin sauce. A Vietnamese restaurant I used to go to (before the owner moved and therefore closed the restaurant) made homemade hoisin sauce and it was fabulous. She would sprinkle finely chopped peanuts and shreds of carrot on top of the sauce. Thank you so much for this recipe. I am mostly vegetarian and using the tofu was a great replacement for shrimp.